Changing soccer landscape could entice Kitsap Pumas to jump up a division in 2011

Watching the developments in US soccer right now is sort of like watching an Etch A Sketch. Just a soon as one thing is scribbled in, it disappears into an update. Today the United Soccer Leagues (USL) released a statement with hints towards the future, particularly 2011. Of special interest to regional soccer fans are these portions:

United Soccer Leagues’ original professional league, the USL Second Division, received official sanctioning Friday of the United States Soccer Federation Board of Directors at its Annual General Meeting in New Orleans, marking the league’s 16th season of operation as the Federation’s only Division III Men’s Professional Outdoor League and longest-running professional soccer league in North America.

Tim Holt, USL President: “As one of only three USSF organization members sanctioned to operate a professional soccer league for the 2010 season (along with Major League Soccer and Women’s Professional Soccer), this upcoming USL-2 season will mark the beginning of a new, exciting era for a league’s teams, which have been dedicated to growing the game by developing players and providing fans in their communities. USL is fully committed to the aggressive expansion of USL-2 in advance of the 2011 season in a manner which will include the addition of a Western Conference.”

“We look forward to another great season in the USL Second Division,” said Holt. “We believe that this league’s model is economically viable for team owners due to the regional travel and focus on containing costs without sacrificing quality. We are confident that USL-2 will more than double in size for 2011 as we have been delighted by the recent rise in expansion interest for this league.”

Still to be decided beyond 2010 is the status of the second division of American soccer. Right now there is no sanctioned division two behind Major League Soccer (division one). Instead, the USSF is running a blended NASL / USL-1 league.

There has been talk in recent weeks about merging all professional clubs into what would become a giant yet regional second division. That would mean a three-tiered simplified pyramid of MLS - Division 2 - PDL (Amateur). Today's press release seems to indicate that the USL wants to wrap up the rights to running a professional third division while the pro second division sorts itself out.

This could open the door for Bremerton's Kitsap Pumas to leave the Premier Development League (PDL) after the 2010 season. The club has spoken in the past about making their way up the soccer ladder. They declined detailed comment on today's announcement, but it is thought that Kitsap will be one of the clubs in the new 2011 third division west. Pumas' Executive Director Ben Pecora did issue a short response to us:

"We hope to be a driving force in making this happen. We are available to this process in any way necessary as this fits our growth model perfectly. The league offices have been extremely innovative in moving this matter forward in a relatively short time.

This is a very positive development."

The risks in moving up for the Pumas, or other rumored interested clubs such as Victoria Highlanders, and perhap even Tacoma Tide FC, are of course the rise in travel costs and player salaries. The benefits would be a more marketable product and prestige. For the Pumas, who already pay their players, it would be a chance to face off against other professional clubs as opposed to the amateur 'summer clubs' of the NW PDL.

For a third division professional league to work in an east / west set-up, the west would need to find around six clubs. Kitsap, Victoria, Tacoma, two or three PDL clubs in Southern California and two or three clubs in Texas are all possible candidates. In 2010 the USL-2 will operate with just six teams: Charlotte, Charleston, Harrisburgh, Maryland, Pittsburgh and Richmond.